Navigating the “Hard to Find” Holiday Season

[fern*wood]

When I first saw the heading for this latest announcement, I thought they were finally admitting the search is really messed up now.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Navigating-the-Hard-to-Find-Holiday-Season/ba-p/32411929

[coastaltechsolution]

I saw the word LEGO in that post, hope he does not get e VERO 😁

[wastingtime101]

For instance, we’re months from Christmas and the 2021 LEGO Marvel Avengers advent calendar is already tough to come by, so buyers are paying a premium. 

Online marketplaces are driven by supply and demand and naturally backfill products that are sold out everywhere else. The most coveted drops will always end up on eBay

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And yet, when the pandemic hit in 2020 I think it was Trinton from the eBay team that said price gouging applied to non-essentials like some kind of Disney princess headband and a video game. I can search for the posts if you guys didn't see or don't remember that.

So which is it? Can we go along with the marketplace supply and demand pricing, or will our listings get pulled for price gouging on that hard to find superhero calendar?

[jayjaspersgarage]

"Not long ago, there was a stigma attached to gifting anything that wasn’t brand new and in season. But with the rise of clear condition grading and a renewed focus on sustainability, refurbished items are topping gift lists and wish lists. "

My big takeaway on this is that I have been building table top planter boxes for over ten years from recycled materials and sell them where the shipping is free to me and my customers.  Ahem, at garage sales and from the back of my pick up in front of estate sales where the customers stream by in droves looking for 'unique' affordable holiday or birthday gifts.  

[eleanor*rigby]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

And yet, when the pandemic hit in 2020 I think it was Trinton from the eBay team that said price gouging applied to non-essentials like some kind of Disney princess headband and a video game. I can search for the posts if you guys didn't see or don't remember that.

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I don't remember that. When you have time, could you search it out and post a link to it? Thanks!

[wastingtime101]

This is one of them:

eBay removed my video game listing for price gouging 

See post 36 for the first eBay reply and continue down the page. He cites the pandemic as a tragic event. As we're still in the midst of the pandemic and it's the reason for the shortages discussed in the OP's linked article, I believe what he said still applies.

eBay says it's not OK to sell collectible non-essentials for high prices in one place, and in another (OP's  link) they basically say it's a good thing that people are coming to eBay and that the prices are dictated by supply and demand and there's nothing wrong with it - that eBay is the destination for that stuff.

eBay is always contradicting themselves. As a seller, I think this type of communication makes selling here a difficult task.

This is the other one:

Price gouging for Minnie Mouse The Main Attraction Ear Headband Mad Tea Party 

There's a lot more run around in this one.

[fromnorth2south]

Yep. https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/4th-quarter-2021-in-a-nutshell/td-p/32413144